KNIGHTFALL sees a blood-and-guts Knights Templar romp do battle with prehistoric revenge thriller Iceman, along with The Krays, The Nun and The Baby in this week's Sun DVD reviews, and there's even a little Iranian poetry to finish off. Read on... Knightfall: Season 1 (15) Out Sep 24 Betrayal, brutality and anti-Semitism. No, not the Labour party conference but this 10-part History channel series about the Knights Templar. Don't let the History channel tag fool you - this is a blood-and-guts romp rather than a dry Simon Schama-fronted documentary. Our hero is testosterone-heavy knight Landry (Tom Cullen channelling Russell Crowe), who's friends with King Philip IV of France (Ed Stoppard) but having it away with the queen (Olivia Ross) behind his back. There's a quest for the Holy Grail, while Landry must also uncover a murderous plot against the Knights Templar. Downton Abbey's Jim "Carson" Carter is splendid as the scheming Pope Boniface, ably matched by Julian Ovenden as … [Read more...] about We look at the week’s top DVDs from Knightfall, The Krays and Iceman
Cometh the hour cometh the man
Arts Q&A: Declan O’Rourke on Paul Brady, Ernest Hemingway and the musical dream team that performed at his wedding
1. When did you think about a career in music what were your first steps into it?From as far back as I can remember I wanted to be an artist, and music was a close second. My parents were very encouraging, and I even remember my father telling me repeatedly, "if you stick with art or music you'll never go wrong". It was always going to be one or the other, but at a certain point in my life music took over. 2. Best gigs you've been to? My first ever gig was Neil Young at Slane when I was 16 – that blew my mind. After that I would say some of the best gigs I've seen are things I've been a part of, and where I've got to watch some great people from the other side of the stage. I do love going to see art exhibitions. My most recent favourite experience was going to the Vermeer exhibition at the National Gallery in Dublin last year. Before that, the Uffizi galleria in Florence. I could literally stare at some of the sculptures there for hours. 3. Fantasy wedding/birthday party band? I … [Read more...] about Arts Q&A: Declan O’Rourke on Paul Brady, Ernest Hemingway and the musical dream team that performed at his wedding
The Latest: ‘Angels in America’ wins best revival Tony Award
Updated 9:24 pm, Sunday, June 10, 2018 Now Playing: Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles will join forces to host the Tony Awards on Sunday. The pair say their chemistry and friendship will help them with the task at hand. They predict they’ll deliver laughs at the ceremony, but Groban says there will also be a moment that marks the #MeToo movement that has reverberated around the country. (June 7) Media: Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the Tony Awards (all times local): 10:20 p.m. A British revival of "Angels in America," Tony Kushner's monumental, two-part drama about AIDS, life and love during the 1980s, has won the Tony Award for best play revival. The show is an astonishing kaleidoscopic seven hours with an assortment of characters that includes Roy Cohn, Ethel Rosenberg, a young man living with AIDS, his cowardly ex-lover, a Mormon housewife, the world's oldest living Bolshevik and a high-flying winged creature. The latest version … [Read more...] about The Latest: ‘Angels in America’ wins best revival Tony Award
‘The Iceman Cometh’ review: Denzel Washington top-shelf in O’Neill’s boozy saga
Let’s get straight to the burning question about Broadway’s “The Iceman Cometh,” Eugene O’Neill’s 1946 booze-soaked saga of curdled lives and dashed dreams: Does marquee attraction Denzel Washington delivereth the goods? You bet — and then some. The Oscar- and Tony-winner stars as Theodore (Hickey) Hickman, an alcohol- and whore-loving hardware peddler. His visits to a New York dive bar in 1912 give its denizens — bartenders, former military men, dime-store philosophers, lawyers, revolutionaries and hookers — a reason to celebrate. But the party’s over. An hour into the play, Hickey shows up and reveals that he’s on the wagon — and that they all need to snap out of their illusions. His pickled pals can’t handle it. Washington has shiny star quality and 100-proof charisma that fits like a glove for Hickey, who’s a sort of celebrity to these barflies. But the performance … [Read more...] about ‘The Iceman Cometh’ review: Denzel Washington top-shelf in O’Neill’s boozy saga
Big Broadway need now? A pillow
Mark Kennedy, Ap Entertainment Writer Updated 8:00 am, Thursday, April 26, 2018 Now Playing: Some of the Broadway plays this season require an uncommon amount of attention. 'Angels in America' is eight hours. 'The Iceman Cometh' clocks in just under four. (April 25) Media: Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — There are plenty of cocktail and wine options available at Broadway theaters during intermission. But these days, it might be wiser to order a strong cup of coffee instead. Three plays that opened this spring require an uncommon amount of attention, despite several breaks. Two parts of "Angels in America" clock in at a total of eight hours, the two parts of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" are more than a combined five hours and the revival of "The Iceman Cometh" is just under four hours. "I love to go to the theater when it's 90 minutes, no intermission," admits Bill Irwin, who is starring in "Iceman" with Denzel Washington. "I love that kind of piece. … [Read more...] about Big Broadway need now? A pillow